Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has broken her silence on her troubled marriage to Senator Ned Nwoko, revealing that her family warned her against the union but she defied them because she had fallen in love.
The filmmaker made the disclosure in an emotional video posted on her Instagram page on Wednesday, where she also pleaded with Nigerians to stop insulting her mother, Rita Daniels, over the marital crisis.
“The main essence of this video is to please, stop insulting my mum. For some reason, I feel like I owe you all this explanation because I don’t know why everyone is in pain about my life,” she said.
“Stop insulting my mum. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She is my god on earth. She’s been strong for seven years. My mum held it down. She tried. You all insulted her. But she tried. It’s me. I’m the one with the coconut head. I’m so ashamed to say I fell in love. But I actually really did.”
The actress dismissed claims that she married the wealthy politician out of greed, insisting that her family was financially comfortable before the marriage.
“You all stop saying I got married out of greed. Excuse me. No. We were not broke. Does that make sense? And secondly, what do you guys think? What money can a man give to a mother to get her child, who practically provides everything in the house?” she asked.
Regina revealed that she was the breadwinner of her family and had used her earnings to train her siblings.
“I was a blessing, a gift to my mum. God used me to settle her. And it’s my job to make sure she is forever happy. Because she has suffered for us, she is the best woman on earth,” she said.
In a shocking revelation, the mother of two disclosed that she once contemplated suicide when her family opposed the marriage.
“She warned me. My brothers warned me. Everybody warned me, and then I drove out at night. I was going to kill myself if I didn’t marry Ned. Everyone was looking for me. My brothers were fighting, breaking bottles,” she said.
“I went to the police station and said, arrest me. My family does not want me to marry the love of my life. But I actually did fall in love.”
Despite the ongoing crisis, Regina said she still respects her estranged husband for the sake of their two sons, Munir and Khalifa.
“I still care and respect him. That’s love. What is love? Care and respect. And the only reason I am not fighting you, Ned, is that I want Munir and Khalifa’s father’s name to be strong,” she said.
However, the actress vowed to fight for custody of her children, declaring that she would raise them with or without Nwoko’s support.
“I’m going to fight for my children, Ned. I tried to be calm. I tried to let go, but I’ll fight for them. I’ll take them. I’ll train them. I’ll raise them, with or without your support. And you know that, my love, ex-husband,” she said.
Regina also acknowledged the support of her family members who have stood by her during the difficult period.
“My family is actually in turmoil. It’s wild, but we’ll definitely come out of it. So what gave me the courage to make this video? It’s just seeing how my family fights; everyone fights for me. My brothers, mum, sisters, and everybody else are fighting,” she said.
The actress’s comments follow weeks of public drama after she accused Nwoko of physical assault in October. The senator has denied the allegations, claiming that his wife’s behaviour was influenced by substance abuse.
Regina’s brother recently launched a petition that garnered thousands of signatures within hours, demanding justice for his sister.
The marital crisis has generated widespread attention on social media, with many Nigerians taking sides in the dispute between the couple who got married in 2019 when Regina was 19 years old.
